


Lush

by Luxicorde



Series: FFXIV Write 2020 [9]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Fluff, M/M, i just really like plants man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26388172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxicorde/pseuds/Luxicorde
Summary: A lot changes after Era comes home, but some things are still the same.
Relationships: Erastus Willow/Hien Rijin, Hien Rijin/Warrior of Light
Series: FFXIV Write 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906447
Kudos: 3





	Lush

**Author's Note:**

> I've been listening to the NieR OST all day while gathering in the Diadem and it's put me in a descriptive mood.

"Just a little farther, Hien."

Era certainly hadn't grown any stiffer in his time on the First. Hien was struggling to keep up, yet Era hardly seemed winded. He wondered if this was how Gosetsu felt the last time he visited, with how much he had been groaning. The brisk mountain air did wonders for Hien, so long as he wasn't spending the better part of a day climbing them. Era had been working on this project of his for quite some time now, ever since he'd heard about a supposedly cursed mountain. Hien didn't want to call it an obsession, but Era was certainly passionate about whatever he'd been doing in the mist-covered peaks. 

Somewhere about halfway up the mountain, the path Era used went from a nice broad walkway, to a narrow strip, and finally down to an animal path that was little more than a slim ridge. Thankfully, one of the first steps in his project had been installing, well, steps. Era had no trouble making it across before, but Hien was thankful that he no longer had to worry so much about him falling.

A gust of wind blew through the steep valleys between the rocks. Era was unfazed, only turning to grab onto Hien and press him against the cold stone to keep him from getting blown off the mountainside. He could feel the first hints of snow on the back of his neck, and not even his thickest coat could ward off the chill. Once the wind died down, Era gently tugged on his wrist, guiding him further upwards. Hien was tempted to fall over once they reached solid aground again, the path widening back out into something respectable. 

Here, there were actually guardrails of a sort. Growing from the stone itself -- and evenly spaced to boot -- were vines. If Hien had to guess, he'd say some sort of wisteria, judging by the delicate flowers and leaves that formed the 'roof' of the path. Era had trained the vines to grow into arches, and with how the roots stretched out towards the steps, it looked like he was slowly coaxing them to grow along the whole path. Indeed, as he looked closer, he got the sense that these plants (plant? It was hard to say if it was just one or many) had started much farther up the path, their roots growing so dense that he had thought the stone steps were simply carved from the rock rather than inserted like the rest had been. This had clearly taken quite a lot of time, and no small amount of effort.

As Era led him into the leafy tunnel, Hien marvelled at the sight, watching as the purple canopy barely even shifted with the harsh mountain wind. He also noticed how much warmer it was, both from the howling wind failing to breach the vines and from something else. Steam, perhaps? It was hard to say, but rather than grow colder as they ascended, the air grew warmer. When they finally reached the end of the path, Hien was already out of his coat, and was halfway through his robe as well before Era was once again tugging him forward. 

Hien had enjoyed the arches Era made with the vines, but he wasn't prepared for what awaited him. 

The path opened to what Hien could only guess was some sort of basin. Era had told him about the ones in Abalathia's Spine, and he had seen one for himself in Gyr Abania when fighting for Ala Mhigo, once the city was free. In Yanxia, they were practically unheard of, due to the mountains forming in their unique cylindrical way. But Era had found one, and it looked like he had claimed it for himself. Rather than a field of grass, the basin was chock full of plants from all over the world, and some not even from their own; a painting of greens, reds, pinks and purples, spanning the entire basin and climbing the mountain walls to the very top. Like the tunnel, there was a canopy, but when Hien looked up to take it all in, he saw not just a tapestry of vines and sunlight, but trees from higher up on the rocks woven into the mix, flowers with stems that reached to the bottom and joined in with the wildflowers that made up the floor, and even clouds toward the center of the green dome. Towards the far end there was a strong waterfall feeding into a lake deeper in hue than any of the sapphires Hien had seen, which stretched all the way across the basin with a stream only to fall over the edge and out of sight. Though looking over it, Hien could see it was deep, deep enough that it would be difficult for anyone but a kojin to reach the bottom. Above all, it was warm. Even in the middle of a Yanxian winter, it was warm enough for him to take off his robe and still not feel the former chill. Quite the opposite, with the steamy air chasing it from his body. 

When Era started tugging on his hand again, Hien simply let him lead, too caught up in the sight to do any more than follow.

Era took him across the field and down a footpath, clearly his usual route with how worn it was. Near the waterfall, at the back of the basin and tucked behind some of the larger plants, was a little cabin of sorts. It wasn’t untouched by the plants, with many of the creeping flowers simply growing over the top of it and dangling from the roof, curtaining the porch. But it was clean enough that Hien could tell it was where Era spent most of his time. Era let go of him once they reached the creaky wooden steps, heading inside while Hien continued to gawk. A moment later and he waa back with a lunchbox, though it was getting a bit too late for that. Across from the cabin, out to where the stream tumbled down into the mountain valleys, the wall of plants opened just enough that Hien could see outside, watching as the sun began to set. He only stopped staring long enough for Era to hand him a rice ball, wanting to take the crimson sky in while it lasted. 

Era sat next to him, idly chewing while he watched. Hien felt like there was something he wanted to say, but when he looked down, Era was still looking out across the verdant landscape. It was only when the last fingers of sunlight finally sunk behind the distant mountains did he realize that Era wasn’t waiting to say, but to show. As twilight darkened the sphere of greenery, instead of being plunged into complete darkness, the basin started to come alive. All of the plants from before that served as splashes of color against the sea of green were now as jewels, slowly lighting up one after another. Soon, the pale blues and yellows creeped across the ground, reaching the plants that made the canopy which responded with their own shining purple. When the light reached the lake, Hien could see the edges of the water slowly turn white, ripples sending sparks of color across the surface, and the waterfall becoming a cascade of diamonds, lighting up even the farthest corners with a soft glow. 

“Feo Ul agreed to help me with this, after I found this place.” Hien looked down to him. Era didn’t look bored, but he certainly didn’t look as enthralled as Hien felt. After he had disappeared, it was so much harder to tell what he was thinking, but Hien couldn’t fathom why anything else other than sheer wonder would be on his mind. “They were so happy that I actually called them here, to the source, that they said they’d help the flowers grow so long as I could find the flowers.”

Hien sat beside him, not sure he could even find his voice, let alone the words to say. It was gorgeous, more spectacular than anything he had ever seen, and for the first time he understood why Era had thought about staying on the First and taking the throne of the fae. There was a whole _world_ fit for this, vast and empty and waiting for someone or something to fill it. Even with the immortality of the fae, Hien couldn’t see Era ever growing bored of it. 

“This is where I come, whenever the enclave gets to be a bit much. The locals avoid it, and they think I’m crazy for coming up here, so they avoid me too.”

“That’s- Era that isn’t-”

“No, it’s fine.” He had a soft smile. Not forlorn, like Hien was used to seeing when he was like this. “I come here to be alone, and they oblige one way or the other.”

Hien nearly jumped when Era leaned over to him, smushing his forehead against Hien’s shoulder until the bigger man pulled him under his arm. “I wanted to share it, though. Now that I’m almost done.”


End file.
